The present invention relates to an adjustable star wheel conveyor for containers of circular and noncircular section.
The art field in question embraces various types of systems and machines incorporating a plurality of star wheels serving to carry and guide containers into and from machines at entry and exit point, and in some instances through intermediate paths. Star wheel conveyors consist substantially in a disk rotatable about a center axis and exhibiting an external profile shaped to afford a succession of sockets or recesses (appearing as semicircles with the convex side directed inwards) designed to match the outer shape of the containers destined to be guided and conveyed by the wheel.
One drawback experienced with conventional star wheel design is that a change in size, and more particularly a change in diameter of the containers handled by a given machine in production, dictates removal of the star wheels currently fitted and replacement with others of size and shape to match the new diameter; in consequence, the manufacturer sustains a notable loss of time and a significant cost, with machinery forced to a standstill, as well as being obliged to keep a stock of change wheels and guides.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawback outlined above, and more especially, in the event of a change in the size of production container, to allow of adapting star wheels swiftly and simply to accommodate the new size, and in particular a new diameter, without any need for replacement.